neck setup / relief

[Terry Atkinson]

Thanks Ken and Tim. I understand it is all about feel. I was just looking for a bit of experienced guidance.

From Ken: "I press down the outer strings (lower first) between the 1st and about the 15th fret and look at the space from under the string to the top of the fret about mid way. Say about from a 32nd" to a 16th" relief at the least and or so on the low side. More if needed. The eyeballed measurement means less than the feel. "

I use a feeler gauge when I set up my guitars as the starting point and then tweak it from there. When you have set up hundreds or thousands of basses, eyeballing it is second nature. This is the first time I have adjusted the Smith (or any bass), so a specific measurement "from a 32nd" to a 16th" relief" is a helpful starting point.

Thanks for your patience.

Terry